Food Safety Bylaw to be revoked

Ashburton District Council has decided to revoke its Food Safety Bylaw in March.

The change comes because a new Food Act, which has been introduced by Government, will leave the Council's current Bylaw redundant.

The Council's current Food Safety Bylaw gives staff the power to close premises that do not meet food health and safety requirements.

However, the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) has developed a national Food Act, which will come into effect by March next year. The Food Act will allow Council staff the same powers as they currently have under the current Food Safety Bylaw.

Community Relations Manager Vincie Billante said because the national Act would give staff the same authority as the Bylaw, the Council had decided to revoke the unnecessary Bylaw.

"This seems the most sensible option as the Bylaw is unnecessary," she said. "However, the Act still has a three-year transition period, which means the Council can review the need to have a separate Food Safety Bylaw if there are any issues."

The Food Act introduces a new sliding scale that identifies businesses as high or low risk from a food safety point of view. Businesses that are of higher risk are subject to stricter safety requirements.

"This is great because it will allow us to more closely monitor high risk premises, making it safer for everyone," Ms Billante said.